Down the rabbit hole
by Sapphire1112
Summary: During a call out, things take an unexpected turn I do not own the characters.
1. Chapter 1

"There's an incident in a nearby forest nearby, we're attending and we need a doctor with us - query two patients both with existing heart conditions."

Charlie looked up at Connie and Sam. "You two are the heart specialists so one of you should go."

"Connie's better." Sam muttered, much to Connie's surprise.

"Actually we could do with you _both_." Jez added.

"We're both about to go off shift. Give me the directions and I'll drive us there." Connie answered.

"Wow, you actually _offered_ to drive me somewhere!" Sam commented sarcastically as they got in Connie's car. "You don't norrmally like to be _seen_ with me."

"We get seen together all the time." Connie responded, with a vacant expression. "I'm surprised you _wanted_ to get in the car with me...or that you _let_ Grace get in with me." She added, still expressionless.

"Why wouldn't I?"

" _Oh, why do you think, Sam_?!" Connie snapped - suddenly sounding very angry, as she pulled out of the car park and began following the ambulance at a safe distance.

"The crash wasn't your fault." Sam said quietly, realising that he'd hit a nerve.

" _Shut up!_ " She snapped again, angrily. "I'm _not_ having this conversation with _you_."

Sam bit his lip and turned away to stare out of the window. For once, he didn't want to get into an argument with her - not about this. He knew that on some level, Connie felt enormous guilt that Grace had got so badly hurt and she hadn't.

As they pulled up at the forest, Sam heard Connie sigh deeply and looked back at her. She leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes briefly. She looked different from the tough Mrs Beauchamp every one was used to. The usual icy front she hid behind was gone, and she looked vulnerable and exhausted.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"That's ok. I didn't mean to upset you." he muttered.

Connie sighed again. "Can we just finish this shift, please?"

Sam reached over and squeezed her hand. "Sure."

 **At the end of the shift...**

"Are you _sure_ you don't want a lift back to the ED, Sam? - your car's there." Jez pointed out, helpfully.

"No, it's ok. I need to talk to Connie anyway. She can pick me up in the morning and bring me in."

"Ok, have it your way." Jez shrugged, climbing into the ambulance.

As the ambulance drove off, Sam wandered back to Connie. She was waiting by her car.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Urm...mine or yours?" He asked - unsure of how to _actually_ start this particular conversation. The conversation she had already told him was prohibited, _in no uncertain terms_.

Connie pouted. "No. _Here_." She said stubbornly.

Sam sighed irritably. "Connie, It's _January_ , it's _freezing_ and it looks like it's going to _snow_."

" _Here_!" She repeated, her temper rising - it didn't take much, nowadays -, especially with Sam Strachan.

"No!" He barked, grabbing the car keys off her. He knew they were being childish, but he was as angry as her now - he had, after all, been trying to find out how she was really feeling, after their bitter words earlier. Not that Connie knew that. She had immediately assumed that he was going to have a go at her about something and had jumped on the offensive. As usual, they were arguing about nothing.

" _Sam_!" She yelled at him as as he ran off. " _Urgh_!" She pulled her heels off, threw them on the ground next to her car and chased after him.

Connie caught up with Sam quite fast without her heels. She grabbed him around the middle and he spun around in her arms. Sam stumbled backwards - taken aback by how short she suddenly was. Connie instinctively tightened her grip on him to stop him from falling over, but changed her mind when he grabbed onto her for support - instead opting to take advantage of his plight. With one of his arms around her and his mind distracted with trying to keep his balance, Connie made an attempt to grab her keys back off him, but he thwarted her attempt by throwing them away.

Having thrown the keys, he immediately lost his balance again and staggered about, still holding onto Connie - now with both arms. Connie herself, was now also distracted by his unsteadiness and as they both tried to regain some sort of balance from each other, they ended up tripping over each other instead and collapsed on top of each other on the frozen ground.

"Oh!" Connie exclaimed, surprised to find herself suddenly looking down at him.

"Mm-hm" Sam answered and before she could protest, he pulled her towards him and their lips crashed together.

Connie didn't resist him as he had expected her to and when they finally broke apart, she found that he was now staring down at her.

"We should go." She said, softly.

"Do we have to?" He muttered.

Connie smiled., brushing her cold thumb across his equally cold cheek. "You need to get back to Grace."

"Mmm, just a few more minutes" Sam murmured, vaguely, giving her another kiss.

Connie kissed him again, before gently pushing him off her. "We need to find my car keys before it gets dark." She pointed out with a smile, " _Or_ we'll have to stay here all night!"

"I guess." Sam sighed. As far as he was concerned, staying here with her all night, didn't seem like such a bad idea. He got to his feet and pulled Connie up with him. "I _think_ I threw them over there." He brushed some wet leaves out of her hair and indicated up the hill. He took her hand and they walked up the hill, looking around. " _There_!" Sam suddenly spotted the keys and letting go of Connie, he went over and retrieved them, triumphantly.

They both felt a sudden movement beneath their feet and looked at each other.

"Sam?" Connie questioned, nervously.

He shook his head. "I don't know. Come here, darling."

Connie moved over to him. Sam put the car keys in his pocket and wrapped his arms protectively around her. They looked around nervously - both _knowing_ that something was going to happen imminently.

All of a sudden, they both realised that they were falling and tightened their grip on each other.

"UH!" They hit the ground and both lay still - too shocked to speak or move. Eventually the shock passed.

"Are you ok?" Sam asked.

"Think so. Are you?

He nodded. Connie sat up, looking around. " What happened? _Where the hell are we_?"

"Er...I think we fell down the _rabbit hole_!" Sam commented.

She looked confused. " _What_?"

"Alice in Wonderland...down the rabbit hole..."

"Oh. Grace's favourite book when she was little." Connie nodded. "She made me read it to her _every night_. Never wanted a different story. only that one!"

Connie and Sam smiled at each other for a moment. Sam got his phone out. "Nothing. No signal. _Great._ You?"

"No, me neither." She answered, checking her phone.

"Must be a sink hole, or something." Sam remarked, looking around their makeshift prison. "The sides are very steep - I don't think we'll be able to climb out."

" _Great_!" Connie retorted. "No phones, nobody about, no one knows we're still here and there's no escape, so _what do we do now_?"

Sam suddenly pounced on her. She squealed as he gently pushed her back down on the ground. "Well, I've got a _few_ ideas, Mrs Beauchamp!" He remarked, flirtatiously.

"Mmm, have you now?" She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kissed her again. "All the same, we should try to get out of here, Sam." They both sat up and looked around again.

Sam got up, looking thoughtful. "This bit looks a bit less steep - look there are rocks jutting out..." he mused, walking over.

" _No_!" Connie cut him off. She got up and walked over to him, putting her hand on his arm. "You've already said it's too steep to climb."

Sam wrenched his arm from her grip. "Do you _want_ to get out of here, _or not_?!" He snapped - a little more sharply than he intended too.

She held her hands up. "Fine. I was trying to stop you getting hurt, but if that's what you want to do - go ahead. I'm not arguing, Sam." She stepped back and leaned against the wall of the cavern, arms folded.

Sam stared at her. This was the _first time_ Connie Beauchamp had _ever_ walked away from an argument with him.

"Well, _go on_ then." She pressed, watching him.

Sam sighed and turned back to the wall. He moved towards it, more aware than not of Connie's expectant gaze on him. He gripped two of the jutted-out rocks above his head, placed his foot on a lower one and began climbing up. He didn't get very far and gasped as his back met with the cold ground again.

" _Sam_!"

" _Ow_! _My bruises have bruises!_ " He complained as she appeared over him.

"Are you ok?" She asked, kneeling down and leaning over him.

"Yeah...are you not going to say 'I told you so'?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. You were trying to help." She squeezed his arm and shuffled backwards, sitting against the wall.

"I just wanted to try and get you out." He muttered, aware that his hospital-sized ego had also taken a knock.

"I know."

"So whose _really_ bad idea was this?" Sam joined her by the wall, groaning from his now aching body.

Connie patted his leg sympathetically, as he sat down next to her. "Mine. You wanted to go back to talk. I insisted we stayed here... but I'm glad we agree that this was a _bad idea_!"

Sam chuckled and put his arm around her. "I was the one who ran off with your keys and threw them away though, so shall we just agree that we're both equally to blame?"

"Mmm, ok." Connie glanced up. It was starting to snow. " _Oh, brilliant!_ " She muttered.

"So, what do we do _now_?" Sam commented, checking both their phones again. Nothing.

"Well, Grace's child-minder must have realised that you should have been home by now - I mean it's..." She checked her wristwatch, squinting to see it it the moonlight. "Nearly six o'clock. It got dark ages ago."

Sam sighed and leaned his head against the wall.

Connie looked at him, suddenly afraid that he'd hurt himself in the fall and not told her. "Sam?"

"Grace is at a sleepover tonight - she had a club after school. They said they'd take her to school in the morning."

Connie laughed weakly. " _Great, just great._ " She groaned suddenly and reached forward to rub her frozen feet - which she now realised were quite painful.

" _Connie - your feet_!" Sam exclaimed in horror upon noticing her bare feet.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam stretched his legs out in the thin covering of snow and lifted Connie's feet onto them. " _Where the hell are your shoes?!_ " he retorted in exasperation.

Connie sighed. "By my car, Sam. I took them off to chase you through the forest." She was met with a stunned silence and upon looking up, she found that Sam was staring at her, gob-smacked. "Well, have _you_ ever tried running in heels?!"

" _No_. I can't even _walk_ in heels." Sam commented, rubbing her feets with his hands to try and get some warmth back into them. "I don't know _how_ you manage."

Connie giggled, trying to imagine Sam as a little boy, secretly trying on his mum's heels. "You mean you've actually _tried_?"

" _No_." Sam answered indignantly.

Connie shivered and he pulled her closer. "Are you cold?"

Connie sighed - what a _stupid_ question she thought. "Yeah - aren't you?"

"mm-hm, I wasn't talking about me, though..." Connie suddenly looked a bit tearful."Hey, don't worry - when we don't turn up for work in the morning, they'll come looking and find your car - _then_ they'll find us." Sam told her confidently - much more confidently than he felt, but he was trying to reassure her.

It didn't work.

"We'll be _dead_ by then, Sam!" Connie yelled, clamouring to her feet. Sam got to his feet as well, trying to catch hold of her as she paced around out of fear and frustration at the predicament they'd found themselves in. "We won't _survive_ a night outside in _sub-zero_ temperatures. We've got no working _phones_ , no _shelter_ , no _food_ or _drink_ and _we're never going to see our daughter again!_ "

"Hey, hey, ssh, ssh." Sam finally caught hold of her and pulled her into a loving embrace. "Ssh, we're going to get out of here, darling. I _promise._ I'll get you back to Grace, somehow."

She sniffed and leaned into him. " _How_ , Sam? _What_ can we _do_? We can't just _freeze to death_."

"Huddle together - try to keep each other warm."

Connie nodded, calming down a bit more. "Ok."

They sat down again and Sam started removing his shoes. Connie stared at him, as if he'd lost his marbles. "What are you doing _now_?"

"You have my socks. I've got shoes as well." He explained. "Otherwise you're going to get ill _very_ _quickly_ , Con."

She nodded and he handed her his socks. "At least it's stopped snowing."

"Put your feet back on my legs, so the socks don't get wet."Sam directed as she put his socks on. "Right, keep talking to me, ok? We've got to try and keep our minds occupied."

Connie nodded, as she snuggled against him. It was going to be a long night for both of them. _If_ they made it through, anyway. She decided to tell him - just in case. "I _do_ love you, you know - even though I pretend not too."

"I know, Connie. I love you too." She leaned against his shoulder as he added, " _Why_ do you pretend not to?"

"I don't know – I guess it's...easier" She mumbled with a shrug.

"Easier than _what_?"

"Easier than letting myself face potential rejection."

"You...you...think...I'm going to reject you?" He stammered. "Why the _hell_ would I?! Is that _really_ what you think I'm _like_?"

She put her her hand on his arm to calm him. "No, no. It's not like that."

What then?"

She sighed. "Suppose I don't think I'm _good_ _enough_..." she eventually muttered.

Sam was silent, surprised by her unexpected confession. Connie had _buckets_ of self-confidence and an ego as big as his at times. He'd always assumed that she thought she was better than him. It was only now that it occurred to him that _'bossy Mrs Beauchamp'_ was a front to protect the hidden Connie from getting hurt. She was afraid of being rejected – so she rejected everyone else, before they got the chance. It was a 'survival' tool.

She looked up at him nervously when he didn't answer – preparing herself for what she _suspected_ was coming – but it didn't. Instead Sam put his hands on her face and kissed her gently.

Drawing back he said simply; "I won't reject you. I love you."

"I love you." She whispered, echoing him and snuggled up against his warm side. Though he had a cold coat and probably an equally cold shirt in between, she could imagine that his body was warm underneath and somehow that helped _her_ feel warmer.

Connie and Sam were both quiet for a few minutes – mulling over the revelation they had both just made. Presently, Connie got her phone out again.

"There's no signal, sweetheart." Sam reminded her softly.

"I know." She answered. "But I'm going to write a text anyway and keep trying to send it – _maybe_ we'll get lucky." She fumbled about for a bit and then sighed. "i can't. My hands are too cold."

Sam took the phone off her. "Still...in...forest. Trapped...down...sink...hole. Need...help...urgently"

Connie nodded. "Perfect. Send it to Charlie's mobile. He always keeps it on in case the ED need him. If it goes, he should get it...anything?"

"No. Still no signal – we'll keep trying." He took his own phone out. "No signal either. I'll turn my phone off – then if your battery runs out, we can use mine."

"Good idea."

Sam pulled his shirt out of his trousers. "Put your hands up my shirt."

" _What?!_ " Connie retorted indignantly – shocked by his sudden arrogant request and slightly perturbed. _Surely this wasn't the time._

"My chest is _warm_ – your hands are _cold_ , so put them up my shirt _before_ they drop off!"

"Oh. ok." She did as she was told and he gasped slightly as her frozen hands made contact. "Sorry."

"It's ok...What did you _think_ I was asking you to do?" He exclaimed, slightly amused.

"I...don't know." Connie answered as Sam tried sending the text again – to no avail.

He sighed. "So, seeing as we're down here with nothing else to do...that _talk_. I want to know if you're _really_ ok."

"About what."

"After the crash." He said quietly and immediately felt her tense up. "No, I know you don';t _want_ to talk about it, but it's occurred to me that we've all been so focused on Grace's recovery – including you, nobody has really _considered_ that you were also in the crash. _You_ got hurt too, Con."

Connie didn't answer. This certainly wasn't the talk she'd been expecting.

"So? -How are you about it?" He pressed her gently.

Whilst he was treading softly, Sam was obviously _determined_ to get an answer – it clearly wasn't a conversation she could avoid. "I don't know." Connie muttered truthfully. "I've sort of tried to block it out."

"You don't _have_ to talk to me about it if you _really_ don't want to." Sam whispered softly. "I just want you to know that I'm _here_ and I'll _listen_."

She nodded and hesitated slightly. "It was... _horrible_...I was trying to keep the car on the road, but Steph just kept banging into us and eventually we went round a bend and I lost control of the car...we were falling and...screaming and...Grace was...grabbing onto me..." She stopped for a minute, shuddering as haunting memories surfaced. Sam hugged her closer, but said nothing and let her continue. "I woke up...I'd been thrown from the car at some point – it was on it's roof, on fire, I smelt... _petrol_...and I couldn't see Grace anywhere – I kept shouting for her, but she didn't answer. My shoulder was out and I couldn't move properly – but I managed to put it back in. Then I saw Grace's shoe...in the car. The...the...car was going to explode. I was shouting and shouting at her to get out of there...and...I tried to crawl to it as fast as I could, but...it exploded before I got there..."

"You thought Grace was _in the car_ when it exploded?" Sam whispered.

"I thought...I'd just watched her _die_ in front of me..." Connie was unable to stop her tears from falling as she vividly remembered the events from the previous summer. Sam rocked her gently as she continued. "I think I passed out again. Next thing I knew, Jacob and Jez were there – I think they ran down the embankment. Iain arrived with the ambulance and...I was screaming at them that Grace was dead because the car had exploded and they had to get her out anyway. Iain and Jez looked in the car but said that there was no one in it and started shouting for her. I think she lifted her arm up or something, they said. She was thrown out of the car too." She paused for breath before continuing – she _had_ to get to the end now. "Dylan arrived. I was trying to get them to help Grace – Iain and Jez were treating her, but I wanted them all too. Dylan...told me the quicker they got me to hospital, the more they could focus on Grace, so I let them take me in. Then... _the helicopter crash_...I heard it and they told me and ...I just _knew_ she was in it. I made Elle take me in to see her when they brought her in – I could hardly walk though and I think...I must have passed out again. The next thing I remember is...waking up after surgery and Jacob telling me...Grace was in a coma." Connie sighed – relieved to have _finally_ told someone the feelings she'd been bottling up for so long.

"It was your _liver_ , right?" Sam asked softly.

"Yeah. Torn liver and a bad head injury...but...I will _never_ understand...why Grace got hurt _so badly_ and I _didn't._ " She muttered.

"I know, darling. She's getting there now though. It _wasn't_ your fault." He added – knowing she didn't believe him.

" _Wasn't it,_ Sam?" She answered. "Steph Sims drove us off the road _because_ I called social services and they took her daughter away. _Our daughter_ got hurt because I was _too_ busy trying to protect _someone_ _else's_."

" _No_." Sam told her firmly. "It was _not_ your fault. - and _you_ need to start believing that – _right now_!"

They sat in silence for a bit as Sam tried to send the text for a third time – but once again his attempt was fruitless. They both sighed and after a while – despite their attempts to stay awake, the sub-zero temperatures overwhelmed them and fatigue took over, knocking them both into a deep, unhealthy sleep.

 **Sometime later...**

It was snowing again when Sam finally woke – and had been for a while if the ground was anything to go by. He looked at his wristwatch, flexing his wrist to catch the moonlight. _Ten past two_. He tried Connie's mobile again...

 _The message sent. A little bar of hope_.

"Connie, look – it _sent_!" He whispered excitedly. " _Connie_?" He shook her gently, suddenly overcome with panic when she remain unresponsive and limp in his arms. "Oh God, no. Come on, sweetheart, wake up – _you have to wake up_!"

He pressed his cold lips against hers. "Con? Come on, _please_! _CONNIE_!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Huh?"

"Oh, thank God. I thought you'd... _gone_." Sam whispered. Connie snuggled up to him. "They're coming for us, Con. You have to hold on – we're going to be ok."

"Don't _tease_ , Sam." She murmured. " _Not fair_."

"I'm _not,_ Con. I promise. Look – the text to Charlie sent!"

 **At Charlie's house...**

"Charlie? _What_ are you doing?" Duffy opened her eyes sleepily as Charlie fumbled about, attempting to get dressed – doubtlessly trying to do so in the dark so that he didn't wake his wife.

"Connie" He answered – as though he _automatically_ expected Duffy to know what he was talking about.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She must train him to be _more_ self-explanatory "Connie _what_?! Charlie, I know I'm _good_ but I'm _not_ a mind-reader!"

"Connie sent me a text – _look_!" He thrust his phone into her hand as he finished getting dressed – more successfully now that the light was on.

Duffy was up in seconds – also pulling some clothes on. " _She's on her own down a sink hole?_ "

"I've got a feeling Sam's down there too. Iain said when they brought that couple in from the forest that Connie was going to drop him home."

 **Ten minutes later...**

Charlie walked into the kitchen, having just got off the phone from the ED.

"They're sending an ambulance. Come on, we can get there first, darl... _what are you doing?!_ "He added in astonishment when he realised that Duffy was filling up a flask with tea.

"It's for Connie and Sam. They've been down there _all night._ " She answered simply. "Wrap up warm, grab those extra blankets and _let's go_."

" _What...?!_ " Charlie picked up the blankets to discover a bundle of rope.

"That too. I'll explain on the way."

They got in the car with blankets, tea...and _rope._

"So?" Charlie commented, pulling out of the drive. "You're not going to try pulling them out of there _yourself._..?"

Duffy sighed. "Of _course not_! We can tie the rope around the flask and lower it down to them. It's been _snowing_ , Charlie. And they've been down there _all night_. They've almost _certainly_ got hypothermia by now. We need to do _whatever_ we can to warm them up."

They pulled up next to Connie's car and got out. " _What...?!_ " Charlie spotted Connie's shoes, now full of snow.

"Don't ask." Duffy replied. "They were _probably_ having an argument."

Charlie shook his head in disbelief. "Who has an argument _outside_ in _January_ and _takes their shoes off!_ "

Duffy shrugged, before shaking the snow out of Connie's shoes and putting them in the foot well of their own car. She loaded Charlie's arms with some of the blankets and the rope. "I did tell you _not to ask_!" She picked up the flak and the rest of the blankets. Let's go and find them."

It didn't take long to find the huddled up, frozen Connie and Sam – a big, gaping hole in the ground is hard to miss. "Sam? Connie?" Charlie shouted down – edging closer to the hole.

"Careful, love. It won't do them _any good_ if you end up down there to – and it certainly won't do _you_ any good!" Duffy warned as Sam looked up.

"Thank God!" He exclaimed.

"Are you hurt?" Charlie asked.

"No, we're not hurt as such, but Connie's not doing to well."

"I'm _fine_!" Connie grumbled.

"Here" Charlie chucked the blankets down. He attached the rope to the flask and started lowering it down. "The ambulance and rescue crew are on the way. _Duffy made you tea._ "

Sam wrapped the blankets around Connie and himself, before catching the flask and pouring some tea out. " _Thanks, Duffy!_ " He yelled back up.

"You're welcome!"

"Here, darling, drink." Sam instructed Connie, tilting the cup, which her frozen hands wouldn't allow her to hold at the moment.

"Thanks." She muttered.

"So, _what brings you to this part of the wood?_ " Duffy commented loudly.

"It's a _forest_." Charlie corrected her. Duffy ignored him.

Connie coughed slightly. "Sam put the car keys in his pocket but they fell out." She managed to answer croakily – but loudly enough for them to hear. She wanted to protect Sam from them knowing that he'd thrown the keys and she didn't want them to know they had been arguing either.

Having drunk the other half of the cup, Sam poured out some more tea and gave it to Connie. Her hands had warmed up slightly and she was now able to hold the cup herself. He screwed the top back on the flask and placed it on his legs between Connie's frozen feet, before wrapping the blanket around her again.

"I forgot to do up my coat pocket." He added to Connie's explanation, grateful that she hadn't let on that they'd been arguing. "They must have fallen out and then, we went to look for them."

"Did you find them?"

"Yes, but then the ground gave way..."

"You _found_ the keys, but _lost_ your footing..." Duffy surmised helpfully.

" _The shoes..._ " Charlie commented – earning a punch on the arm from Duffy. She told him _not_ to ask.

"Connie's feet were aching by the time we realised the keys were missing. We didn't think it would take long to find them." Sam explained.

"It's _January_!" Charlie was indignant – but earned another punch on the arm for his troubles.

"Have _you_ ever tried strutting around a forest in high heels, Charlie?!" Connie retorted loudly. "It's _very_ uneven ground!" She handed Sam the cup of tea. "More _uneven_ than we thought" She whispered with a giggle.

They were interrupted by the sound of sirens as the Calvary arrived.

"They're down here!" Charlie called, waving to the rescue party.

"How are they doing?" Iain asked as he and Jez appeared next to Charlie and Duffy.

"Probable hypothermia. Connie seems to be worse than Sam – _probably_ due to the fact that she has no shoes..." Charlie stated.

" _Don't ask – it's a long story_!" Duffy interrupted sharply, before Iain could voice his confusion over Connie's _apparent_ lack of footwear. "I thought you two went off shift?"

Jez nodded. "The ED called us at home and said there was a call out and it was Connie and Sam so we came back in – besides we've both been _here_ before..."

Iain cautiously lay down and peered over the edge. He glanced back in surprise. " _They're drinking tea..._?"

Charlie chuckled slightly. "That's my wife's fault!"

"Oh." Iain turned back to the looking down the hole. "Hey guys, How you doing down there?"

"A bit better after the tea, thanks!" Connie called up, causing Duffy to clap her hands together triumphantly and Charlie to chuckle again.

"I'm concerned about Connie's _feet_ though." Sam added, rubbing them with his hands.

"I know, mate. We'll get you out of there as soon as we can, alright?"

"I'm _ok_ , darling." Connie whispered as Iain dissappeared again.

 **Some time later...**

The rescue crew had worked swiftly and tirelessly to recover the two frozen doctors and presently they were reunited with their colleagues at the top of the sink hole.

Despite being stiff and aching from the cold, Sam found that walking was not to much trouble and carried Connie to the back of the ambulance – ignoring Charlie's protests that he should be immobilised. Connie also _stubbornly_ refused immobilisation – insisting that they were both just suffering from hypothermia and hunger.

Iain examined Connie's feet and wrapped them up tightly. "They're certainly going to be sore for a while. You might have to stay off the heels for a bit!" He added – much to Connie's horror.

"What were you even _doing_ up there?!" Jez retorted, looking back at where the sink hole was now being cordoned off.

"My car keys fell out of Sam's pocket..." Connie started.

"...and you went looking for them. Yes – _we know that bit!_ What were you doing up there _in the first place_?!" Charlie interrupted. Duffy sighed – she _had_ warned them not to ask.

Sam hesitated. "We were..."

"...having a conversation about our daughter." Connie answered with an air of confidence. "We decided to go for a walk, while we had a chat, then we got back to the car and found we had lost the keys, so we had to go back and look for them. I didn't think it would take that long to find them and my feet were uncomfortable after walking around woodland..."

"It's a _forest_." Charlie interrupted, unable to stop himself.

Connie glared at him. "...in high heels so I took them off." She finished. "Yes – _I know, I'm a doctor and I should know better_ , but we all make mistakes sometimes!" She added loudly, upon seeing Charlie's look of exasperation.

"Happy?" Sam commented, seemingly confirming Connie's fairy tale version of the events that led to their predicament.

"Did you _believe_ that?" Charlie commented, as they watched the ambulance drive off with the two doctors on board.

Duffy sighed. "What that they were _'talking'_ as opposed to _'arguing'_ and that the keys ' _fell out'_ of his pocket?... _Not a word!_ "


End file.
